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We start the second stage of the trail on the Wacholderwanderweg (Juniper Trail) after spending the night in Hohenburg on the market square.
(S) From here, we first head south, where the road becomes Jakobusstraße. After a left-hand bend, we cross the Lauterach bridge and, where Jakobusstraße turns right, we turn left into Am Kalvarienberg.
(1) Behind the cemetery on the left, we come to Mendorferbucher Straße with the Catholic cemetery church of St. Salvator, which nestles against the houses behind it with its yellowish paintwork. The Wacholderwanderweg trail continues straight ahead, past the church on the right, out of Hohenburg and into the juniper heaths. At the fork and the following T-junction, keep left and follow the slope. Turn right onto Koppelbergweg.
(2) From here, you have a good view of the top of the Schlossberg, on which the ruins of the former Hohenburg castle complex lie in the middle of today's military training area. Shortly after the path bends to the right, we come to a wider field path (Burghausener Weg), where we first turn left and then immediately right again after about 30 metres.
(3) The dirt road leads us up to the hill past a small wayside shrine at a game reserve. After about 300 metres, the farm road curves to the left. Up here, you will often encounter flocks of sheep grazing on the dry grassland.
There is also a herd of cattle here. The red highland cattle also contribute to the preservation of this valuable land. In the following right-hand bend, we turn left onto the narrow path and, after passing through a sparse grove, we return to the juniper heath.
The nature trail slowly descends straight down the mountain through the sparse pine forest to Allersburg. The path follows the road for a short distance (about 200 m) before turning right again immediately after the town sign. It passes the houses, crosses the Hausener Bach stream, where trout frolic, and then turns right and immediately left again through the village. If we continue straight ahead at the next crossroads, the asphalt road becomes a dirt track.
(4) On the right-hand side, the parish church of St. Michael stands on a steep ridge. The fortified church was built in the 9th century. The path leads us through a sparse wood up the slope. Shortly after a kind of field barn, keep to the right and then turn left onto the wide field path.
We follow the path across the fields and turn left at the fork. Shortly before the wood, we come to a T-junction, where we turn left into the sparse pine forest. After a good 400 m, we turn right at the T-junction onto the wide dirt track and take the right-hand path at the next fork, which leads us further through the forest.
We follow the path, which curves to the left after a little over 1 km and then slowly descends, first through the forest and then across fields down to Ransbach. The St. Peter's church tower is already visible from here.
After crossing the St2235, continue straight ahead across the Lauterach and turn right at the next junction.
(5) From here, the Wacholderwanderweg trail runs along the Lauterachtal cycle path.
(6) The St. Peter's Church in Ransbach is immediately on the left.
(7) From here to above Sternfall, walk along the border of the military training area on the left and the Lauterach on the right. The military training area extends from Hohenburg in this direction.
(8) After about 3 km, where the Lauterach river curves to the right, the Mühlbach stream flows into the river. At this point, we turn sharply to the right, cross the Mühlbach stream and the state road 2240.
After a few metres, we turn left (opposite the no-through road sign) into the hillside and walk briefly above the state road through the juniper heath to Mühlhausen.
(9) At the entrance to Mühlhausen, we come to a gravel road, where we turn left and after about 40 m turn right again onto the path through the dry meadows. From here we have a wonderful view of the Mühlhausen valley. At the upcoming crossroads, we turn left, then right and left again in quick succession onto the nature trail through the nutrient-poor grassland.
After a right-hand bend, go straight ahead at the next two crossroads and keep left at the fork that follows immediately afterwards through the forest. Go straight ahead at the crossroads after about 600 m and then turn left at the T-junction. The next crossroads takes you straight ahead.
After a right-hand bend in the road, we reach the outskirts of Kastl. Via Johannes-Straße, we reach Georg-Reiser-Straße, where we turn left. We cross the next road straight ahead and then the Wacholderwanderweg trail leads us to the right.
(10) After the left-hand bend, we pass the Netto supermarket on our left and arrive at the Cappuccinostation (pizzeria and ice cream parlour in the yellow building) at the hiking car park at the former railway station in Kastl.
(E) Turn left onto Staatsstraße and after about 400 metres you will reach the Land-gut-Hotel Forsthof. Opposite, head towards the market square. There is another car park on the left in Brauhausgasse.
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